Pyramids: The Gateway to Stars

Chapter XLVIII

Chapter XLVIII
Befallen

How much pain and sadness can you endure for someone you love?

To me, love didn't work that way. With the love and care that Grandma showered to us, I viewed love in a different light.

The love I've known is a love that is gentle and easy. Like coming home with the thought that you'll be greeted with their smiling faces and be embraced with their warm hugs and kisses.

I grew up to a kind of love, knowing that it isn't supposed to make you question whether it's still worth it or not.

But witnessing a mere portion of Habibah's life… I've realized how difficult it had been for her to throw herself in thorns just to receive that kind of love in this lifetime. It made me realize how lucky I was.

That same day, Abayomi and Habibah reached the palace of Babylon. Abayomi wanted to stay and wait for her but Habibah insisted him to leave and just come back the next day, before sunrise.

She went inside the palace. One of the head servants assisted her until they reached the private tower of Sargon, where his selected people conducted weird experiments. That included the creation of an antidote that could make her fertile.

“King Sargon…” Habibah greeted the moment she entered.

A few people greeted her back and then went back on their tasks… while Sargon approached her.

“Habibah! You're here,” he said as he gripped her wrist, “let's go somewhere. Shall we?”

“Oh… okay.”

She didn't do much every time she visited Babylon. Aside from sitting and displaying her presence and allowing his people to examine her, Sargon also kept her some company.

Like this time too.

He brought her to the grand library inside his palace. As soon as they stepped in, Habibah was amazed as her eyes wandered across the vast room housed with thousands of clay tablets engraved with texts and symbols.

She occupied her mind looking at the shelves. From the looks of her, she didn't understand any of the texts written but that didn't stop her from looking.

Sargon followed her from behind and eventually spoke, breaking the silence. “Has your husband not been looking for you these days?”

Her body stilled. Her fingers, tracing every tablet that passed by, settled on a tablet in front of her. “No… His Majesty is busy with some matters.”

“Matters that aren't about you?” He moved to peek at her face.

“Yes. Things that are unrelated to me.” She then faced him and forced a smile. “His life doesn't revolve around us anymore,” she added as a matter-of-factly. “Cheops… has his royal duties now.” She trailed off. “And I'm here to do my part as well.”

“Habibah.”

“H-Hmm?” Her eyes returned to him.

“Why aren't you giving up on him yet?”

“Giving up is out of the options. I’m his Queen,” she answered dryly. “And… I have already come this far. I want to see how this ends if I don't give up on him.”

His face became serious, yet it had a glint of peril. He moved closer, causing her to step back once. “Aren't you fed up with that Pharaoh? Am I not better than him, huh?”

“What are you talking about?” Confusion was evident in her voice.

He unknowingly grabbed her wrist.